The Little Picciss
by Jyuoa
Summary: The group encounters a girl that's developing water abilities. All she wants is to bring her family together and to control her transformations, but with some help, discovers herself along the way. A little one-sided Ben/OC.
1. Prologue

The group was hanging out at the lake. Gwen was sitting against the tree, reading a book while the guys got into a water fight. "Dude, you're so going down!"

"Is that really the best you've got?" The guys kept at it until Gwen got splashed.

"Oops. Sorry, Gwen." Kevin said.

"Nice going, Kev." Ben said. Gwen got up and walked over to them.

"I really didn't mean to…" He was got off when a wave of water came right at him. Gwen was trying not to laugh. Ben turned to her, surprised.

"What? I can't let you guys have all the fun, can I?" It wasn't long before all of them got involved in it. After a few hours, they got out. Gwen's hair was still wet.

"That was awesome."

"I never thought you'd get involved in a water fight." Kevin said.

"Why not? I don't hang around you guys for no reason." Gwen pointed out. Ben turned back to the lake. He saw a shadow of something.

"Ben? You okay?" Gwen asked.

"I thought I saw something in the lake." Ben told them.

"You sure you're not just seeing things?" Kevin asked.

"I'm serious. I didn't get a good look at it, but I saw a shadow moving in there." Ben protested.

Gwen closed her eyes. "There's definitely something in there. I just can't tell what it is. Maybe we should check it out."

The group headed back to the lake. Ben saw the shadow move again. "There it is!" This time, the shadow moved faster, almost as if it were trying to swim away from them.

"It's headed up that way." Gwen pointed out. The group followed along the coastline. The shadow was way far ahead of them now. They stopped near the end.

"That's strange. It's almost as if whatever that thing was disappeared." Ben noticed.

"Whatever it was, we should be careful." Gwen said. "We don't know if that thing's dangerous or not."


	2. Aquatic Encounter

"You really think this creature will show up again?" Kevin asked the next day. They were back at the lake and had been waiting there for a while.

"It worked with Verdona." Ben pointed out. "Besides, we need to know if it's a threat or not."

"We scared it off the other day. We need to try not to provoke it when we do confront whatever this is." Gwen added.

"Like that's really going to…" Kevin started, but Gwen stopped him from finishing his sentence. "What?"

"Do you hear that?" Gwen asked.

"Hear what?"

"I don't hear anything."

"Quiet. It's almost like someone's singing." Everyone stayed quiet. At first, they didn't hear anything. A few seconds later, they could hear a soft voice singing. It was as if the wind was carrying the voice.

"It's coming from that direction." Ben pointed toward the lake. The group slowly headed over to the lake. There was a girl in the water. Her long, brown hair had white beads in it.

They stayed quiet for a while. "You have a really great voice." Ben told her. She opened her blue eyes and saw the group.

"Oh, thanks. I get it from my mom." The girl told them.

"What are you doing in the water by yourself, anyway?" Ben asked.

"Well…" The girl began, then she hesitated. "Look, I've gotta go!" She ducked underwater. They could see her shadow moving through the water. Gwen used an energy ribbon to try to grab her waist. The girl briefly re-surfaced.

"Let go of me!" She yelled. She struggled to break the ribbon around her. Gwen could feel her energy starting to fade. Finally, the girl ducked back underwater and swam off, forcing her to let go.

"She's too fast for me." Gwen told her partners. "She's going even deeper underwater."

"I've got this under control!" Ben said. He transformed into Jetray and dove underwater. It wasn't long before he managed to find her. She heard something coming up behind her and turned around. She stared at the creature in horror.

Ben could now see why she was in the water. She had two scaly bands around her arms and was in an aqua tube top. Instead of legs, she had a tail. "Go away!" She yelled, afraid.

"Look, I don't want to hurt you." Jetray told her.

"I almost got stung by a stingray once, I won't get near one again!" The girl told him. She tried to swim off, but she found herself being dragged to the surface.

Jetray flew out on the other side of the lake, keeping the mermaid's lower half in the water. She put her arms and in front of her and had her head down as she coughed. Ben returned to normal.

"Nice job." Kevin told him.

The mermaid looked at Ben, then turned to the others. "Just what the heck are you people?"

"You don't have to be scared." Gwen told her. "We're the good guys."

"I guess you guys ought to know the truth now." The girl said, sitting up on the grass, revealing her tail.

"Whoa!" Kevin said.

"I know. Could you guys turn around for a minute?" They all turned their backs to her. "Okay. I'm ready now." When they turned back, the girl was no longer a mermaid. She was wearing a light blue T-shirt and beige khakis shorts. Her hair beads were gone.

"How'd you do that?" Ben asked.

"Just something I can do." The girl explained. "Do you believe in aliens?"


	3. A Mermaid's Tale

The group looked at each other. "Kind of." Ben finally answered.

"Oh, come on. Are we really going to believe that Ariel here got her powers from aliens?" Kevin asked.

"My name's Gina, and don't even act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I saw you're Plumber's badge." The girl shot back at him.

"You know about the Plumbers?" Ben asked.

"I've known since I was little." Gina told them.

"That shadow yesterday was you, wasn't it?" Gwen asked. "Why'd you swim away from us?"

"Well, I was afraid someone might see me, but it seems like I was too late anyway."

"What were you doing out here on your own?" Ben asked. The group came together by the tree.

"I live really close to this lake." Gina explained. "I come out here to swim all the time. My parents are both normal, but one day I started developing powers. Turns out, one of my grandparents was an alien."

"Yeah, I know what that's like." Gwen said. "It's strange to find out about someone you barely know and then learn where you're powers really came from."

"Actually, I never met my grandparents." Gina told them. "I figured it out on my own. One of them was a Picciss Volann." Ben looked kind of confused.

"Ripjaws." Gwen reminded him.

"Oh, right." Ben said.

"How is that even possible?" Kevin asked. Gwen elbowed him.

"I have no idea." Gina said. "I got my powers a couple years ago, but I can't control when I transform. Every time I step into the water…" She got up and walked into the lake. A second later, she re-appeared in her mermaid form. "I turn into this." She struggled getting back out. "Uh, can one of you help me out of here?" Ben walked over and took her hand.

She changed back to her human form instantly. "Thanks."

"So, you're parents know about this?" Kevin asked.

"It's the reason that they're…" Gina began, then she shook her head. "No, I can't drag you guys into this."

"In a way, it's like you kind of already did." Gwen elbowed Kevin again.

"Just ignore Kevin, he's a little inconsiderate sometimes." She told her.

"Hey!"

"Whatever." Gina said. "It's just, this is too personal. I don't think there's any way you could help. Maybe if I were normal, none of this would be happening."

"Gina, whatever you're going through, we want to help." Ben told her. "Whatever's going on with you, you don't have to do it alone."

"Thanks, guys." Gina turned back to the lake. The sun was starting to set. "I should be getting back now. I promised my mom I'd be back during sunset."

"If you ever need to talk to us, we'll meet you back here." Gwen told her.

"See you around, I guess." Gina said, running off toward the other side of the lake.

"There's obviously something going on." Ben realized.

"Sure you're not just crushing on her?" Kevin asked.

"Enough, Kevin!" Gwen said. "Look, that girl might need our help. Even if it's just to give her somebody to talk to, we'd be willing to help out. If you don't care, stay out of it." She angrily walked off.

"Nice going, Kev." Ben said. They headed after her. Meanwhile, they weren't the only ones that knew Gina's secret.


	4. Separation Issues

At a small house, Gina finished getting ready to go. "I'm going now." She said.

"Be careful." Her mom called after her as she left.

A few days later, the group was headed over to the lake. "Are you sure about this?" Kevin asked.

"I'm positive I heard Gina trying to reach us." Gwen said. "While I was sleeping, I heard her voice."

"So did I." Ben said.

"I didn't. I almost can't believe any of this." Kevin told them.

"Well, like it or not, we're going to help her." Gwen said. The group got out of the car.

Gina was sitting on a rock in the middle of the lake. She was in her mermaid form. "Hey. I see my message got through."

"Not all of us got it." Kevin told her.

"So, why'd you call us here?" Gwen asked.

"I thought about what you said, Gwen. You guys deserve to know why I can't stand my powers." Gina said.

The group moved over to the tree. Gina got out of the lake and sat with them. "Here's the thing, as soon as I started developing these abilities, my parents have been fighting. They had already lived separately, but I'm afraid that my powers are tearing us apart."

"Why didn't you tell us this yesterday?" Gwen asked.

"Because I felt it was too personal and didn't know if I could trust you guys."

"Gina, that's the kind of thing you should let someone know right away." Ben pointed out. "It's not something you have to hide from a real friend."

"I know, but I don't know what to do. My father left a few years before and while my mother says she's okay, I know that she really misses him." Gina said. "And I'm caught in the middle. I feel that he doesn't even want me around now that I'm…" She broke off.

"I know how you feel." Kevin said. "I was on my own for a long time. Then I met these two."

"Kevin…" Gwen remembered when he told them about his father being a Plumber.

"But you're not alone anymore." Ben pointed out. He turned to Gina. "And neither are you. You're still a Plumber's kid, right?" Gina nodded.

"It doesn't matter if you're normal or not." Gwen said. "We're you're friends now."

"I just wish I knew what to do." Gina told them. "I want them to be together again, but I can't control when I transform in the water. Maybe if I could, this problem would go away."

"Well, maybe we could help you practice." Ben said. "We'll help you when we can."

"Thanks for the support, guys." Gina said. "I'm glad I trusted you."

"I'll meet you back here tomorrow." Gwen told her. "We have another mission to take care of."

"I kind of figured when I saw the news this morning." Gina told them. "Good luck, guys."

"Thanks." Ben said. "Same to you." Gina started to leave, but then headed back into the lake. She watched as they walked away.

"Do you really think we'll be able to help her?" Kevin asked.

"Hey, we've helped a lot of people, including aliens and half-breeds." Ben pointed out. "Anyway, I just know we'll be able to help Gina."

"I'm with Ben on this one." Gwen said. "I know you're worried about her, too, Kevin."

"What?"

"Come on, you know, with the parent situation." Gwen pointed out.

"Yeah, kind of." Kevin admitted. "At least she didn't…" They were too far away for Gina to here them now.

Gina smiled, glad she had some friends that could help her. She started to sing again before she swam across the lake. When she was far away from the cove and couldn't see the rock anymore, she climbed out. A few feet away was her house. She ran toward it.

"You're back early." Her mom observed.

"Well, I made some new friends." Gina told her.


	5. So Much for Teamwork

After school, Gwen went over to the lake by herself. Ben was busy helping Julie practice and Kevin had something to do. She couldn't help but wonder what he did while they were busy sometimes. She threw a rock into the lake and started to go. "Hey!" She heard a voice yell.

Gwen turned around, getting ready to take on anything. "I'm warning you, I have a black belt in martial arts."

Gina surfaced above the water. "Gwen?" She lowered her defenses and walked over to the lake. "What was with you throwing rocks at me?"

"Sorry, I didn't know you were down there." Gwen said. "Just had to get out some of my anger."

"I see." Gina said. "Want to talk about it?"

"Well, my other friend has tennis practice."

"Really? I'm kind of into it myself." Gina said. The girls were sitting by the tree.

"It's just, sometimes I have no idea what Kevin's thinking and I get really worried." Gwen explained. "It's kind of complicated."

"You're into him, aren't you?" Gina asked.

"Kind of." Gwen admitted. "But I don't know if he feels the same way. One minute he can be such a jerk, and the next he's…" She blushed.

"I know how that feels." Gina said.

"But enough about me. I might have an idea that'll work." Gwen said.

"I'm listening." Gina said.

"If you can get them somewhere to talk alone, maybe they'll work things out."

"I see where this is going." Gina said. "But how am I going to get them to meet?"

"That's where we come in." Gwen said. "I haven't told the guys yet, but I'm sure they'll help out."

"You really are a good person, Gwen." Gina told her. "Ben's pretty amazing, isn't he?"

"Well, he is my cousin, but he's not always bright."

"Yeah, well no one's perfect." Gina giggled. "So, I'll see you later?"

"Yeah." Gina headed back into the water and swam off.

"You told her what?" Kevin asked. The trio had met in the garage.

"Look, she needs help." Gwen told him. "There's no way she can do this alone. I know if it was me I couldn't."

"She's got a point, Kev." Ben said. "Gina feels responsible for what happened to them and now she wants to fix it."

"I know that, but sometimes there's nothing we can do about it." Kevin pointed out.

"So what are we supposed to do? I said I wouldn't do this without you two." Gwen explained.

"I'm going to help in any way I can." Ben said.

"This is a bad idea."

"You say that about everything." Gwen said. "At least Ben's willing to help out." She stormed out.

"Nice going." Ben said. He left to catch up with her. He found her at her place.

"I really can't stand him right now." Gwen said.

"Why is he so against helping us this time?" Ben asked.

"I think Gina reminds him of himself." Gwen explained. "He didn't know his father, and it was probably a shock to him when his mom was re-married. I think in a weird way, he's trying to keep her from getting hurt like he did."

"He doesn't want to see her in the same kind of pain he had if our plan doesn't work." Ben concluded.

"Exactly." Gwen said. "It looks like we're on our own this time. But I'm not going to let Gina down."


	6. The Plan Comes Together

The group met up at the lake to go over the plan. "Hey, guys." Gina sat down by the tree. "What happened to Kevin?"

"Let's just say he's got issues." Gwen told her.

"Okay, so we just need to get them alone in the same place so they can talk." Gina said. "Any ideas?"

"Why not right here?" Ben suggested.

"Are you insane? If they see me, they'll know I'm trying to set them up." Gina pointed out.

"Wait, that's not a bad idea. If you used your voice and stayed hidden underwater, it could work." Gwen explained. "Think you can do it?"

"I don't know if I can project my voice halfway across the lake. When you met me, I was above the surface and were standing like three feet away." Gina said.

"Use this." A small, circular device was tossed to her. "It should amplify the power of your voice even if you're in the water." The group turned and saw Kevin.

"What are you doing here?" Gwen asked.

"I thought about what you said and you're right. If this doesn't work, at least we tried."

"Wow. That's…" Ben began.

"I can hardly believe I'm friends with you guys." Gina said. "All you do is argue about everything."

"We do not!" Everyone protested.

"I rest my case." Gina said. "So, how do we get them outside and around here?"

"Leave that us." Gwen told her. "You know what to do." Gina jumped into the water and re-surfaced.

"Let's just hope this works."

"We'll be back in a minute." Ben told her. The rest of the group headed toward Kevin's car.

"How are we supposed to find her parents? We don't know where they live." Kevin pointed out.

"She told us the other day that she lives with her mom not too far from the lake." Gwen reminded him.

"I just found out where her father lives." Ben told them. "He's not too far, either."

"How'd you find out so fast?"

"I ran into Gina on my way back from soccer and she told me." Ben explained.

"I wonder if Gina…" Gwen began. "No, that can't be it."

"What?"

"Forget it, it's stupid. Anyway, are we clear on the plan?"

A few hours later, the group split up. Gwen headed to Gina's place. "How can I help you?" The woman at the door said.

"Hi, I'm a friend of Gina's." Gwen told her. "My name's Gwen."

"Nice to meet you. I'm afraid my daughter isn't back yet."

"I came over to work on a school project with her."

"Really? What's the subject?"

"Marine biology." Gwen explained. Meanwhile, Ben headed over toward her father's house.

"Yes?" A man with dark hair answered the door.

"Excuse me, sir, I found a broken down car in the woods." Ben told him.

"Oh, great. I can't believe they did it again. Where exactly did you find it?"

"It's this way." Ben led him toward the lake area.

"It's getting kind of late." Gina's mom said. "I hope she's okay."

"Well, I have to go now. Tell her to call when she gets back." Gwen said. She headed back toward the lake. "Are you still down there?" She whispered.

"Yeah." Gina said. "Except that little amplifier. It's broken."

"We have to go, now!" Ben told them.

"What the heck's going on?" Gwen asked.

"Gina's father is just behind us, we have to get going." Gwen went with the guys. Gina stayed underwater.

"Gina?" She heard her mother calling her. She knew she had to stay hidden. "Gina?" It took a few seconds before she stopped running. She saw Gina's father right in front of her. At first they just looked at each other.

"Marina?"

"John."

"It's nice seeing you again."

"I know. It's been a while since we've seen each other."

"Is there something wrong? You look concerned."

"Gina hasn't come home yet and I'm starting to get worried."

"I'm sure she'll be back soon. Would you like me to come and wait with you?"

"Thanks, that would help." Marina said. They headed back to Gina's house. As soon as she heard them leave, Gina re-surfaced and climbed out of the lake. She headed back to her house.

"Hi, Mom."

"Gina, you're late! I was so worried about you." Marina said.

"I'm okay. I was at the library and lost track of time." Gina told her.

"Hey, Gina." She saw her dad sitting there.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

"Well, your mom came out looking for you and got worried, so I thought I'd keep her company." John explained.

"Oh, make sure to call your science partner. She stopped by earlier while you were out." Marina told her.

"I will. I'll be in my room if you need me." Gina said. She headed up to her room. She dialed Gwen on her cell phone. "Hey, it's me. I think it worked."


	7. Changing Waters

Gina headed over to the lake. She relaxed against the grass. She heard a sound in the distance. She sat up and looked around. "Hey, Gina!" She looked up and only saw the Tennysons.

"You guys scared me!" Gina said.

"Sorry, we just wanted to see how it was going so far." Gwen told her.

"Everything seems to be going well. I've convinced them that I can control my changes."

"So, you lied?"

"I didn't have a choice. I don't want them to be separated again." Gina explained.

"I understand." Ben told her. "Sometimes people get put into situations like this and you have to tell them something that's not entirely true."

"I remember when your parents found out two weeks ago. They totally flipped out." Gwen said.

"Don't tell her about that one!" Ben protested. Gina giggled.

"Wow, you do have it hard." Gina said. "Anyway, as long as I avoid going into the water, I should be okay."

"But, you have to go in because that's part of you."

"I know it's hard, but it's the only way to keep things normal." Gina said.

"Gina, this is serious. You might…." Gwen began.

"I know."

"That's not going to happen. We can try to help her figure it out." Ben said. A few hours later, they gathered at the beach.

"This is your idea?" Gwen asked.

"It was all I could come up with."

Gina hid behind a rock before jumping into the water. Gwen followed her. Just then, she heard something move. "Gwen, did you hear that?" She just shrugged her shoulders. Gina looked around and saw nothing. When she turned back, she saw a krakken-like monster behind her. "Look out!"

Gwen turned around and quickly headed back up to the surface. "Gwen! Is everything okay down there?" Ben asked.

"There's a creature down there! It's going after her!" She warned him.

Ben switched the dial on the Omnitrix and transformed into Big Chill. "Man, can't this thing ever get it right?" He dove under and saw Gina trying to defend herself. She tried to stun it a bubble wave.

Ben managed to freeze some of the tentacles. Gina recognized him. She quickly swam back to where she first entered. Ben followed. Just as he changed back to normal, he was hit from behind.

"Ben!" Gina turned around and saw him. She quickly swam after him and headed up to the surface. Gwen rushed over when she saw what was going on.

"What happened?"

"That creature struck him. It's my fault. He tried to save me." Gina explained. Gwen helped both of them out of the water. As Gina changed back, she realized that she had to learn how to control the changes and that she was going to have to do it the hard way.

"Hang in there, Ben." Gwen told him. "Gina, I need you to help me. Watch over him while I go get help." She took off, leaving them alone.

"I'm sorry about this, Ben." Gina said. "You didn't have to come in after me. We could've handled it." She held onto him. After a few minutes, she heard him coughing. "Ben?" She let go of him.

"Gina. You're okay."

"Thank goodness. I thought we were going to lose you." Gina said. She hugged him.

"Uh, you do know I'm seeing someone, right?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, Gwen told me about Julie." Gina said, letting go. "I'm just lucky to have you as a friend." Gwen headed back over to them.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Gina saved me."

"Gina, look at your hands." Gwen said. She looked down. Her hands were glowing yellow.

"How is…why…" Gina couldn't come up with the right words.

"It looks like you have other powers, too." Gwen said. "I think that's how you were able to save Ben."

"I can heal others now." Gina realized. "If only I could control my changes. This never would've happened." She walked off and nearly ran into a girl with long, brown hair. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I know where you're coming from." The girl said. "Gwen taught me how to use my powers."

"Is there anything you can do to help me?" Gina asked. "I don't want to transform in the water if I don't have to."

"Hey, Anna." Gwen said, heading over to her old friend.

"Hey, I was just talking to your new friend here." Anna said. She turned back to her. "If you ever want to come by, here's my address." She gave it to Gina before leaving.

"I should be heading home." Gina told them. "I promised I'd be back at four." She ran over to her house and headed to her room. She looked at the address and decided to head over whenever she could.


	8. Wave of Betrayl

Gina headed over to Anna's the next day. When she got into her room, she was impressed by everything inside. "Pretty cool, huh?" Gina jumped back in surprise. "Don't be scared, it's just me." Anna was sitting on her bed.

"It's like you studied magic your entire life." Gina said, reading the titles on the shelves. She paused when she came to the crystal ball. "Is that real?"

"I don't know. My grandmother gave it to me before she left. I use it to keep an eye on my boyfriend, make sure no DNAliens jump him." Anna explained. "Gwen taught me how to control my powers."

"So, you think that you can help me figure this out?" Gina asked.

"Yeah, though I'm not sure it'll work." Anna told her. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"It's the only way to keep my family together." Gina explained. "I need to learn how to control my transformations in the water."

"Very well, I'll respect your decision." Anna said. "I've only done this once before, against a DNAlien that was attacking Eric." Gina stood across from her.

"This won't hurt, will it?"

"No, just stand still." Anna told her. "Block out all powers that are aquatic, wash away the ones keeping her half-breed." A few sparks appeared around Gina and she felt it as it came around her.

"Did it work?"

"It's hard to tell once you go see for yourself." Anna explained. "I'm sure it did."

"Thanks for helping me." Gina said. She rushed out to see if anything would work.

Anna teleported away from her home. Meanwhile, in a cave, Anna was tied up. "Oh, Anna. You have a weird way of amusing someone who has more advanced power than you." Her doppelganger said.

"You won't get away with this! Mrs. Tennyson will find out about this and she will stop you!" The tied-up Anna yelled. She broke the ropes with a bunch of orange ribbons.

"Maybe, but that human girl won't last long against me." The evil double said, changing in a flash of purple light. Anna gasped at the silhouette.

"I'll make sure my message gets through to them, no matter what you try." Anna said, disappearing in an orange flash of light.

Gina ran toward the lake. As soon as her feet touched the water, nothing happened. She looked at her body only to find herself completely normal.

A few days later, the group headed back to the beach. Gina was wearing an aqua blue bikini. "Wow, you look amazing." Gwen told her.

"Thanks." Gina said. "So do you."

"What is it with girls always talking about how they look?" Kevin asked.

"It's called being polite." Gina told him. "Guys like you wouldn't understand."

"As long as someone understands." A girl with short, dark hair said. She was wearing a one-piece pink swimsuit.

"Hey, did we come here to argue or relax?" Gina asked.

"I don't know. I guess both." Ben said. Gwen hit him in the arm.

A few minutes later, Gina heard someone calling for help. She rushed out into the water. "Gina, wait!" Gwen called after her.

"What is she thinking? She's going to expose herself." Kevin said. A second later, Gina surfaced with a little girl. Everyone was surprised to see her still human.

"You okay?" Gina asked. The girl nodded.

"Gina, how did you do that?" Ben asked as the rest of the team walked over to her.

"Anna helped me." Gina explained.

"That's impossible." Gwen said. "Anna's on vacation. She went to Anodine to train with Verdona."

"Wait, if Anna's not here, then who…" Gina began.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it's trouble." The other girl said.


	9. Close Encounter

"I have a weird feeling about all of this." Gwen said.

"I didn't come here to debate my decisions, I came to relax and hang out with you guys." Gina told them.

"Still, I'm not sure this is the right way to be handling your problems." Ben said.

"What would you know about it? You get you're powers from that stupid watch." Gina pointed out. "You have no idea what it's like to be born with powers, never having a sense of being normal." She headed back toward the water.

"Gina, wait!" Gwen started forward, but Kevin held her back.

"Let her go. She needs some time alone."

"I'm worried about the person who helped her. What if they try to hurt her?" Gwen pointed out.

"Unless she's using her to get to you." The dark-haired girl said.

"That is possible." Ben said.

Gina was sitting against the rock when the girl walked over to her. "Hey, I wanted to see if you were okay." She sat next to her. "Ben told me about you're abilities. I think it's amazing."

"You'd think so if you could control it." Gina told her. "How would you know how I felt, Julie? You're normal."

"You know, when I met Ben, he was afraid to tell me his secret because he didn't think I'd accept how different he is. It might take time, but maybe you'll figure it out for yourself."

"Maybe, or maybe it'll just ruin everything." Gina said. She ran into the water until she wasn't visible anymore. As she swam, she tried to think of what Julie had told her. It wasn't until she was too far deep that she noticed the squid-like monster was back.

She tried to swim away, but one of its tentacles wrapped around her leg. She struggled to get free. She kicked it, hard, to get it to let go. She headed back to the surface. "Guys! That creature's back!"

"Why is that a problem?" Kevin asked.

"If it comes up to the surface, it might hurt the others here." Gwen pointed out.

"I'll take you there." Gina said.

"After last time? You almost drowned!" Gwen pointed out.

"I'm the best swimmer out of the five of us. Plus, I can't do this alone!" There was a sudden scream.

"Julie!" Ben realized.

"That's it! We're going in! Kev, you and Ben stay here!" Gwen said.

"Excuse me? I'm not sitting back while my girlfriend's in trouble."

"We'll signal you!" Gina told him. The girls ran back into the water. The creature had Julie caught in one of its tentacles.

Gina noticed a spear in stuck in the ground next to her and grabbed it. She swam toward the creature and cut Julie out of its grasp.

She grabbed her and tried to swim toward the surface, but it was blocking the way. Julie swam toward the other end and got another spear. Gwen saw where this was headed and formed an air bubble around herself and them. "You sure about this?" She asked.

"It's the only way to make sure he doesn't come up and start causing problems." Gina told her. The bubbles disappeared and they all swam toward the creature. The girls started cutting off the tentacles. Gwen fired a short distance away from it.

As soon as they were off, they headed back toward the surface. However, it was following them. Gina noticed and started to call Gwen's name, when she remembered she couldn't. Gwen turned around and saw what was happening. She started firing again, but it wasn't helping at all.

Gina grabbed Julie and pulled her toward the surface. While Gwen was struggling underwater, she shot a pink beam up toward the sky. Gina headed toward the others. "Gwen's in trouble!"

"I'm going in. Watch Julie while I'm gone." Ben told her. He ran in. Gwen couldn't keep up against it and put a shield around herself as it tried to attack her. Almost instantly, half of it froze. A few seconds later, she spotted Big Chill.

"Ben, watch out!" The creature was starting to break free. He managed to freeze it completely before it could attack again. The ice fell far into the ocean.

Back on the beach, Gina noticed Julie waking up. "You okay?"

"I think so." She sat up and coughed. "Thanks for the rescue."

"No problem." Gina said. "If my powers weren't blocked right now, I'd be able to help more."

"Is she okay?" Ben asked.

"I think so." Gina said. "My mom used to be a nurse, so she taught me a few things." She headed over to the rock area with Gwen.

"You did a great job today. I'm sure Julie's glad that you saved her."

"If it's one thing I hate, it's seeing people drown because of me." Gina explained. "I wasn't going to let anything hurt her. Especially after last time."

"You're a really good person, Gina." Gwen told her.

"Are you feeling okay?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Julie said. "If it hadn't been for Gina, I probably wouldn't have…"

"Don't say it. I couldn't imagine what would happen if she hadn't." Ben told her. Gina watched as the two hugged each other. She headed back underwater, glad she was still part of the team in some way.


	10. Return to the Lake Part 1

About a week after the beach, Gina sat down by on the rock at the lake. Her parents seemed happy, but things were different for her. She looked at her reflection in the surface of the lake. "Hey, Gina." She turned around and saw the others.

"What are you guys doing here?" Gina asked.

"Just wanted to see if you were okay." Ben said.

"I guess. It looks like my parents have gotten back together and I'm glad to be normal, but it just seems like something's missing."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know. I still love swimming and all." Gina told them. "Something just doesn't feel right, like there's something wrong."

"Maybe its because of your power block." Kevin suggested.

"Even if that is the case, I wouldn't know how to get them back. It's been a week already." She skipped a rock across the lake.

"I know how it feels. It's a little weird when I'm not wearing the Omnitrix." Ben told her.

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Gina asked. Suddenly, she found herself being pushed into the lake. She stood up and looked at the guys in shock.

"No, but I was hoping that might."

"You've been hanging around Kevin too long." Gwen said.

"You're so going to pay for that, Ben!" Gina said, trying not to laugh and not succeeding. It wasn't long before she and the guys got into a water fight. Gwen watched from the sidelines. After what seemed like a couple of hours, the guys got out.

"I told you that would work." Ben said.

"That was kind of fun." Gina said.

"Glad we were able to help." Kevin said.

"Maybe we can…" All of a sudden, Gina was pulled underwater.

"Gina!" Gwen yelled.

Underwater, Gina saw a purple ribbon around her leg. "Hello, little mermaid." A woman's voice said.

"What the heck happened?" Ben asked.

"Something grabbed her! I saw something glow under the water." Gwen said.

"I'm going to help her." Ben said. "You two keep an eye out for anyone suspicious." He transformed into Jetray and dove into the water. He saw a woman with silver hair holding Gina down with an energy ribbon. He zapped her to break her hold.

"Back off, Charmcaster!"

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to see you." He noticed Gina starting to fall deeper into the water. He grabbed her with his tail and tried to swim to the surface, when a purple blast hit him.

"Nice try, but you're not interfering this time." The two started firing at each other while Gina watched.

"Why are you after her?"

"Please, I tried to help more than you." Charmcaster said. "By posing as that stupid rookie mana girl."

"You pretended to be Anna?" Jetray asked.

"Of course! The hard part was gathering her memories and getting the voice right." Charmcaster said.

Gina couldn't sit back and watch it anymore. Charmcaster threw another burst at him, only for Gina to push him out of the way. She swam downward to avoid it. Jetray looked at her. "Gina!"

"I can't believe this! You blocked out my powers, sent a krakken after me, and tried to drown me twice!" Gina yelled, not caring if she drowned. She was furious. It was then Jetray noticed her glowing. "Not to mention kidnapped the real Anna and endangered the only friends I've ever had!"

"Gina, look!" Jetray said. Gina looked at her body and was surprised to see that she had changed into her mermaid form. Charmcaster looked really surprised.

"Now you're going to pay for coming after us!" Gina told her.


	11. Return to the Lake Part 2

"How did you…" Charmcaster began.

"I have no idea how it happened, but as soon as I saw you attacking my friend here, I got really angry." Gina said. "After that, I could feel myself changing."

"That doesn't matter now, cause either way, it looks like your spell's broken." Jetray pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I still can't mop the floor with you two!" Charmcaster fired a beam at them.

Gina swam in front of Jetray and formed a bubble wall in front for protection. They disappeared after the blast made contact. "Close one."

"Did you really think those bubbles would stop me?"

"No, but we were trying to catch you off guard!" Gina told her. Jetray fired a blast at her. Gina knocked her back before she had a chance to attack them again. She heard voices calling them.

"We can't just leave her down here." Jetray pointed out.

"I know that, but how can we both get out?"

"Swim to the surface, I'll get Charmcaster." Gina headed back to the surface.

"They've been under for a while." Gwen said.

"Gina's a good swimmer, I know she'll be okay." Kevin told her. A few seconds later, she appeared above the water's surface.

"You're okay." Gwen said.

"Guys, we have company. Get ready to help Ben." Gina told them. A few minutes later, Jetray flew out and hovered above them. "What happened to the sorceress?"

"I don't know. She was gone before I could reach her."

"What sorceress?" Kevin asked.

"Some girl attacked us while we were underwater." Gina told them.

"Charmcaster." Gwen said. "I can't believe she'd go this low."

"She was using me to get to you." Gina told them. "She's the one who blocked my powers."

"Well, you might as well help us while you've got them." Kevin said. "Ow!" Gwen elbowed him.

"I don't think she'll be able to." The group turned and saw her standing by a row of trees.

"Give it up, Charmcaster. We all know you're plan." Gwen said.

"Nice try, but I'm not alone this time." She grabbed onto…

"Dad!" Gina realized.

"Gina, I don't know what's happening."

"Let him go! He's got nothing to do with this!" Gina pointed out.

"If you attack me, he goes down." Charmcaster said.

"What are we going to do?" Kevin asked.

"No idea. Ben…?" Gwen turned. Ben was gone.

"Looks like your friend went home…" Charmcaster was cut off as a blast hit her from behind. She let go of Gina's father.

"Leave them out of this!" Jetray said. "If you had any idea what Gina's been through, you'd back off!"

"Why should I? Because of some mermaid who doesn't fit in here?"

"I'm not a mermaid." Gina jumped out of the water. When she landed on the ground, she saw a few scales on her legs. She was wearing an aqua mini skirt to match her tube top. "I'm a descendant of the Plumbers'."

"You had you're chance, fish bait." Charmcaster used a spell to send a blast of water at her.

"In case you're forgetting, I'm part fish. I absorb water!" Gina pointed out. Gwen shot a few blasts to cover her. Kevin absorbed part of a rock and knocked Charmcaster back.

"Guys, keep her busy." Gwen said.

"No problem." Kevin said.

Before she had a chance to recover, Jetray fired at her. "I've had it with you!" She knocked him down with a strong blast.

"Ben!" Gina yelled. He didn't hear her.

"You've interfered for too long." Charmcaster said. Before she could hit him, Kevin knocked her out of the way. Gina was so mad at her, she didn't realize what was going on. A portal opened near Charmcaster. "What the…" She saw Gina, and she was really furious.

"I will never forgive you for hurting my friend!" Gina said. Some of the water from the lake came to her. She used a strong blast of it to send her right into the portal. It closed almost instantly.

"You okay?" Ben asked after changing back to normal.

"Yeah." Gina said. "I'm glad I was able to help stop her."

"At least you can control when you transform now." Kevin said.

"It's cool. Remember when I said that I felt that something was missing? I think it was because my powers were gone."

"I thought you were upset when you had them." Gwen told her.

"I had it all wrong. My powers are a part of me and that won't ever change." Gina said. "Thanks for helping me realize that."

A half-hour later, Gina and her parents were at the lake, as well as her friends. Gina had finished explaining everything to them. "Thank you for helping our daughter." Marina told them.

"It was nothing, really." Gwen said. "Just part of what we do."

"By the way, Gina, you never told me how you two did on your science project." Marina said.

"What science project?" John asked.

"I think it can wait till later." Gina said. "I just didn't want us to be separated because of me."

"I'm not going anywhere." John told her. "I may have misjudged you. But, I was wrong. You proved that today when you saved me."

"I couldn't have done it without them."

"We'll be waiting at home if you need us." Marina told her. They left to give the teens some space.

"Looks like everything worked out." Kevin said.

"It's a good thing we decided to help her." Gwen said. "By the way, what really did change you're mind?"

"I'm not going to talk about it in front of them."

"Oh, come on."

"I just said that I'm not…"

"Will those two ever stop arguing?" Gina asked.

"It's kinda their thing." Ben said. "You know how their relationship is."

"Yeah, though it does get annoying. Thanks again for being there. You're a good friend."

"Well, I didn't do this on my own." Ben pointed out. Gina kissed him on the cheek.

"Guess I'll see you around." She turned to go. "Oh, before I forget, my parents said it was okay for me to start my training as a Plumber."

"That's cool, though technically, you're already part of the team." Ben pointed out.

"Yeah, but I could use the practice." Gina said. "See you." She headed back to her place.

"Ben, come on! We're going." Gwen called.

"Wait up, you guys!" Ben rushed to catch up with them. At least things were back to normal. For now, anyway.


End file.
